Monitor lizard spotted gnawing decomposed body

AsiaOne
Thursday, Sep 20, 2012

A group of friends who were catching crabs at Pulau Ubin were shocked to see a decomposed body nearby.

Mr Cai Tian Cheng, 49, was with a group of friends at the island around 12 noon on Wednesday. They were about to release their cages into the water when they spotted a blackened corpse lying on the rocks near them.

They told Lianhe Wanbao that the dead body was facing upwards and looked like a man in his 50s or 60s. Mr Cai also said that the man seemed to be about 80kg heavy.

"The corpse was black and had a strong decomposing smell. It seemed like he had been dead for many days. I was so scared and I immediately called the police," he said.

When he took the police to the scene, Mr Cai said he saw a 4-foot long monitor lizard gnawing on the decomposed body.

"I saw it chewing the man's chest and when I saw this, I got really frightened!"

Police told Lianhe Wanbao they were informed of a dead body at Pulau Ubin at 12.53pm. The man has not been identified and the case is under investigation.

Mr Cai told reporters that the dead man was wearing a white shirt with shorts. From his attire, he did not look like he was there to catch crabs, said Mr Cai.

"We usually wear a t-shirt when we come here to fish but the deceased was wearing a shirt. He is most probably a visitor from the main island."

Missing person

Owner of bicycle rental stall, Mr Xie, 60, told the Chinese evening daily that a man in his 50s had approached him four days ago to ask if he had seen a missing man.

"He showed me a photo of a man in his 50s to 60s and said it was his family member. He also said he had been missing on the island since Saturday," said Mr Xie.

Mr Xie also said the dead body could be the man whom he was searching for, but he did not leave a name or contact number.

Another man whom reporters spoke to also said that he heard someone was looking for a missing person on Sunday and Monday.

The location where the body was found is deserted and is not usually frequented by visitors, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

Only people who are familiar with the area will visit this part of the island, said Mr Cai.

Ms Yang, owner of a bicycle rental stall, told the newspaper that people who are unfamiliar should not venture to the area as it cuts through a forest and can be dangerous.